Madam Deputy Speaker, we welcome the approach of having this debate today to allow ourselves to reflect on where we stand as a nation. One hundred years ago, South Africa was in serious need of reconciliation between all cultural groups, and we messed it up.
History was unfolding on the continent of Africa, driven vigorously by the imperialists and, in our case, the British to serve their own needs. It was clear that they would only allow some sort of a country on their terms. So, the Union of 1910, whether it was conceived in sin or not, has no doubt influenced the path of our history and followed other examples in the world, such as Canada and Australia.
The Anglo-Boer War, let me remind this House, was a war in which black South Africans participated and also died at the hands of both forces. This saw the restoration of the two Boer Republics in 1907 and then followed the Union.
The F W de Klerk Foundation summed it up quite correctly yesterday, referring to the Union, and I quote:
There was no supreme constitution, no distribution of real power, no Supreme Court to interpret the constitution and no limit to the actions of the executive - there were hardly any rights for black people.
As Keir Hardie, the Scottish socialist leader, observed during the debate in the British parliament on the South African issue, and I quote:
The purpose of the Union was to unify the white races, disenfranchise the coloured races and not to promote union between the races of South Africa. In 1914, a section of the Afrikaners - my grandfather and my uncle were rebels - rebelled against the British, showing displeasure at what had happened to them in South Africa. Fortunately, they were not the only group. The majority who were left out of the Union started to regroup, but for almost 50 years it was a struggle between two white groups, until the Republic was proclaimed in 1961.
However, in June 1955, the Freedom Charter, as a statement of core principles, was adopted at the Congress of the People's convention in Kliptown. As you know, the second day of that convention was broken up by the police and Madiba escaped by disguising himself as a milkman. Nobody knew that he would become the most famous delivery man of hope, peace and reconciliation in world history!
He, together with other leaders, such as F W de Klerk, allowed us to become reborn and today we stand proudly as a teenager on the world platform.
Today we proudly show off our South African flag and our culture; and more importantly, we are showing the rest of the old democracies - many of whom have exploited Africa - that because of sound monetary and fiscal policies we are today an example of how to run state finances.
Barney Mthombothi wrote in the Financial Mail, and I quote:
A second decade into our liberation, we are a people still grappling with what it means to be South African.
Let us use our lessons of the past 100 years and use this 2010 Fifa World Cup, and the many other events that will follow, to grow the love for our flag, our country and ourselves. That would be the real mark of patriotism. I thank you. [Applause.]